It’s very human to always be looking for the perfect circumstance: the
perfect partner, the perfect job, the perfect group. One of the earliest things
we were taught, when the body known as New Wine was birthed, was that there was
no such thing as a perfect church. Michael Cook would joke that if we ever found
the perfect church, it would stop being perfect the minute we walked in!

The other thing we were taught was the futility of hopping from one church
to another in pursuit of that perfection; especially if we were dissatisfied or
angry. Dissatisfaction and personality clashes were to be addressed, not run
from, we were told. This was a way to mature, just like in the proverb:
“You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another.”

We who became New Wine were looking for that: a group of people who would
stick with one other and be real with each other; a group that our kids could
grow up with and where we could all be encouraged in our attempt to live as
Christians. We were looking for a community.

And we got it! And it was most imperfect.

It’s very human to think that we should have ended up with something to
show for our years together. But New Wine was not about assembling a thing
that we can now point to, as if we were building a city. Rather, it was about
a journey that we were embarking on together; as if we had all stepped into a
river-raft at the head of a wild, forested river and set off, without much of
an idea of what was ahead. This was a journey we would not have undertaken
alone, and as rivers have a way of revealing nothing beyond the first bend,
it was bound to be an interesting ride.

And it was!

We had a lot of fun together with our parties, trips and events; and we still
have fun when occasions call for a get-together. Together, we dabbled in new
teachings and spiritual matters. We studied, went to seminars and conferences
and connected with other bodies. We worshipped, we danced, and we were healed
and delivered. And we prayed. Together, we tried out all sorts of prayer. We
wanted to do what the Lord wanted; something we all still want…and so the
praying goes on.

And where are we now? It’s as if we have washed up on the shore of the river,
muddy and wet, but full of the exhilaration of the ride. We are on the river’s
edge; but this is merely a pause in our journey. We have relished the ride. It
has made us feel alive. What will we do now? We could continue down the river.
We are, after all, experienced river-riders. We could go back to the head of the
river and ride it again. Now that we know the landscape, our next ride could be
much more successful. Or, we could go off into the forest. The woods are fed by
the river. It’s a new, mysterious and unknown place.

And who is this “we”? It is the body known as New Wine, changing and maturing
constantly as the years go by. It is anyone who has been on the journey.